Not a lifestyle blog!

Menu

Mixed Martial Arts: A Fight Fan’s Point-of-View

I only started watching mixed martial arts PPV’s in late 2007. Although I hear about it and from some of my friends, I couldn’t appreciate the sport much back then. I did watch Professional Wrestling but then the two are different as MMA is real and Pro Wrestling is staged.

I have been already training in Muay Thai and Submission Wrestling for a few months when I first started watching UFC Events. As I trained more, I understood the sport better. That was when I got hooked on wathcing MMA events.

I’ve seen an event or two of the now defunct EliteXC when it was shown on late-night tv. But it was the UFC that made me a fight fan.

What is Mixed Martial Arts?

According to Wikipedia.org:

The standing fighter is attempting to escape defeat via armbar by slamming his opponent to the ground so that he will release his grip.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques, from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions, to be used in competitions. The rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground. Such competitions allow martial artists of different backgrounds to compete. The term may also be used, less correctly, to describe hybrid martial arts styles.

“Modern mixed martial arts competitions started in the 1920’s in Brazil. It was then called Vale Tudo or Everything is allowed. Vale Tudo was done during circus events. But it wasn’t until the 1960’s when Vale Tudo started to become widely accepted.” – (this part I wrote.)

Mixed martial arts comptetitions emerged in American popular culture in 1993 with the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Initially based on finding the most effective martial arts for real unarmed combat situations, competitors of various arts were pitted against one another with minimal rules for safety. In the following decade, MMA promoters adopted many additional rules aimed at increasing safety for competitors and to promote mainstream acceptance of the sport. Following these changes, the sport has seen increased popularity with pay per view reach rivaling boxing and professional wrestling.

People unfamiliar with the sport may think it is violent. Well, I’d have to admit that it is true. But Boxing is violent too. There discussions about MMA being safer than Boxing. Even UFC’s president Dana White agrees to the claim. I’d have to agree with it myself.

Listed below are some of the reasons why I think MMA is actually safer than Boxing:

In MMA, a match is usually 3 five minute rounds and on special matches such as title matches, it is 5 five minute rounds. While in boxing, the match usually goes as long as 12 3 minute rounds.

In MMA, you can win a match without even hitting the head of your opponent. Though you can also kick your opponent to the head, the body, or the legs, it really isn’t done during most fights. In boxing, in order to knockout your opponent, you will need to punch him in the head.

Above are short but probably enough to explain it.

As violent as it may seem, I do enjoy watching MMA fights because believe it or not, you’ll learn a thing or two on how to defend your self. I am a practitioner myself so I guess watching such fights could benefit me in some way.

Here in the Philippines, the Mixed Martial Arts community has been growing. MMA events are regularly held here. MMA Promotions such as the URCC (Universal Reality Combat Championships) and the FFC (Fearless Fighting Championships) have both been holding events regularly. There are a lot of MMA clubs where you can train. Scolls of Brazilian JiuJitsu, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Boxing, etc., which are usually essential in MMA training, are all over the country.